Mechanism for controlling the transmission of signals



Oct. 15, 1929. L MACKENZIE 1,731,538

MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING THE TRANSMISSION OF SIGNALS Filed April 5, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 1 Oct. 15, 1929. F. L MACKENZIE 1,731,538

MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING THE TRANSMISSION OF SIGNALS Filed April 3, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 748 i/J 5 F18 V I I d q H] H-IH Fig.3.

Patented Oct. 15, 1929 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRED L. MACKENZIE, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING THE TRANSMISSION OF SIGNALS Application filed April 3, 1924. Serial No. 703,994.

This invention relates to controlling mechlocking plate in the form of a ring provided anism, and is illustratively disclosed herein with a series of alternating elevated and dewith relation to its application to means for pressed portions the magnitude and relative controlling cyclically operated signaling positions of which control the operation.

mechanism. Considered in another aspect, it is an ob- Since, in the development of the present 111- JQCi) of the present invention to provide mechvention, especial attention was given to proanism capable of operating in accordance with Vision for shortening the time necessary for anovel method of transmitting signals such as the transmission of audible signals, such, for audible time signals in a manner which will example, as the time signals sounded by clockenable a listener to recognize and interpret striking mechamsms, the invention will be the signals with certainty and assurance in a disclosed herein as embodied in the striking minimum of time. Thus, as applied to the mechanism of a clock movement, though in striking of a clock, my invention will envarious of its aspects the invention is not limable a listener to recognize the si nal which ited in its application to such mechanism, is being sounded without the necessity of since evidently the mechanism of the invenwaiting during the seemingly long time which tion may be utilized to control other operait takes to strike the longer signals such as tions. eleven or twelve, and at the same time with- In its broader aspects, the invention relates out introducing the uncertainty as to the hour broadly to mechanism for automatically conbeing struck which exists when a clock strikes 7 trolling the operation of cyclically operating ships bells. As herein exemplified, I accommachinery by which a number of steps are to plish this by provision for controlling the be'performed in sequence and in the operation striking mechanism to cause it to strike in acof which the manner in which the several cordance with a system based upon Roman steps are to be performed is to be automatinumerals, in which the symbol Iis represented 75 cally varied. by a single stroke and the symbol V by a dou- In accordance with the foregoing, the inhis stroke. For the sake of simplicity, the vention provides improved mechanism for symbol X may be represented by the symbol controlling the number of machine cycles for V repeated, that is to say by two double through which the mechanism will operate strokes. Bearing in mind that the time inand the character of the operation performed terval from the beginning of one stroke to the during the several cycles. Thus the illusbeginning of the next stroke is the same trated mechanism is constructed and arranged whether either or both of the strokes is a sinto cause the hammer of a clock-strikingmechgle or a double stroke and that this interval 5 anism to strike one or more single blows preneed be no greater, for example, than the in- 5 ceded or followed by one or more double terval between two strokes ina clock striking blows in accordance with a predetermined in accordance with the usual system from one code or system. As exemplified herein, the to twelve, and that the maximum number of signaling operation is controlled by means of strokes which it is ever necessary to strike two locking plates having, respectively, conwhen using this new system with relation to 90 trolling surfaces, one of which controls the clocks and the like, is four, at eight oclock and number of times the mechanism will strike at twelve oclock (VIII and XII), it will be during a single given time signal, and the seen that the longest signal is sounded in oneother of which determines whether the difthird of the time which it takes to strike ferent strokes shall be respectively single or twelve by the usual system. 95 double strokes. These two locking plates may \Vhile some clocks, for example, those strikbe structurally separate or they may be inteing ships bells,have heretofore been arranged gral or consolidated. In the illustrated to strike a double stroke or strokes followed mechanism one of them is represented by the by a single stroke, the mechanisms used for outer and the other by the inner surface of a this purpose have been such that a single 1 stroke could not precede a double stroke. In striking according to the herein disclosed method, however, it is necessary at times that a single stroke precede one or more double strokes, as in striking four and nine. Accordingly, the herein disclosed mechanism is of such a nature thata single stroke may either precede or follow a double stroke and may be either preceded or followed by a double stroke.

With the above and other objects and features in view, the invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the striking mechanism of a clock embodying the mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the locking plate of the striking mechanism of Fig. 1, this locking plate being formed to cause the clock to strike Roman numerals Fig. 3 is a plan view of a locking plate adapted for use in placeof the locking plate of Fig. 2, formed to cause the clock to strike ships bells;

Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrams'serving to make clear the relation of the locking plates of Figs. 2 and 3 respectively to the striking of Roman numerals and of ships bells.

The striking mechanism disclosed herein is illustrated as embodied in a clock having the usual train, indicated generally at 10, for operating the hour-wheel shaft 11 and the centre or minute-wheel shaft 12.

Since the details of this construction are of no consequence so far as the present invention is concerned, it will be unnecessary further to describe them except to state that the centre shaft 12 is provided with a pair of fingers 14 and 16 arranged to raise the lifting piece or wire 18 which serves to trip the striking mechanism.

The power for "operating the striking mechanism is provided by a main-spring 24, one end of which. is secured to the main arbor 26 of the striking mechanism and the other end of which is anchored to a rod 28 mounted in the frame of the clock. A ratchet 30 is secured to arbor 26 and is engaged by a pawl 32 pivoted to a gear 34 loose upon arbor 26. Pawl 32 is held in engagement with ratchet 30 by a spring 36. A

locking plate 38 formed of sheet material,

with an inner and with an outer group of radially-extending controlling notches which will be hereinafter more fully described, is secured as by pins 40 to gear 34. Gear 84 meshes with a pinion 42 secured to a gear 44' mounted upon an arber 46 journaled in the frame of the clock, gear 44 meshing with a v pinion 48 which 1s secured LO a notched CilSk 50 fast upon arbor 52 which also is ournalec 1n the frame. Arbor 52 also carries fast thereon a gear 54 meshing with a pinion 56 secured to gear 58, the latter being fast upon an arbor 60. Meshing with gear 58 is a pinion 62 fast upon arbor 64 which carries a fly 65, the air resistance of which prevents the striking mechanism from operating too rapidly.

The lifting piece 18 is secured to a shaft 66 journaled in the frame of the clock and carrying also a wire 68, which is arranged when the lifting piece is raised to engage a pin 7 0 carried by gear 58. Since gear 58' is driven in a. clockwise direction (asviewed in Fig. 1), the engagement of pin. 70 and wire 68 prevents the operation of the striking mechanism until the liftin piece 18 drops off fin 'er 14 or 16, and this takes place, as illustrated, every half hour.

Shaft 66 also carries a Wire 74 having its end bent to engage beneath the locking wire or lever 76, so that when lifting piece 18 is raised by finger 14 or finger 16, the locking lever 76 is lifted and shaft 78, to which locking lever 7 6 is secured, is rotated through a small angle in a clockwise direction, as viewed in F 1. Shaft 78 also carries a wire 80 having its end bent to engage with a notch 82 formed in the periphery of a disk 84 secured to arbor 52, thus restraining the striking mechanism from operation until shaft 7 8 is rotated by the action of lifting piece 18. Disk 84 carries a pair of pins 86 and 88, whose path of movement intersects the path of movement of the tail 90 of hammer 92 arranged to strike the usual bell shown at 93. Hammer 92 is secured to a shaft 94 journaled in the frame of the clock and urged in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 1) by a spring 96. A stop 98 car-' ried by shaft 94 is arranged to engage a rod 100' to limit the rotation of shaft 94 and the its Shaft 102 also carries a wire 108, the down wardly turned end of which is moved, when shaft 102 is sufliciently rotated, to intersect the path of movement of a projection 110 carried by the'tail 90 of the hammer. A second locking lever 112 is carried by shaft 102 and is arranged for movement into engagement with the inner surface of looking plate 38. i

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be observed that the inner and outer surfaces of locking plate 38 are each provided with a series of alternating elevated and depressed portions, forming in effect two inte rally connected locking plates. The outer surface of locking plate 38 is arranged to control the number of strokes struck when the striking mechanism is tripped. Thus when the lifting piece 18 is raised by finger 14 or finger 16, it rocks shaft 66 causing wire 74 to lift locking lever 76. This also lifts the end of wire 80 out of the notch 82 of disk 84 and permits the main-spring 24 to set the striklng mechanism in motion as soon as lifting C7 piece 18 drops back to its normal position.

Once the mechanism starts to operate it will continue in operation as long as the end of wire 80 is held out of notch 82. Once the mechanism is tripped, it is necessary for the end 77 of locking lever 76 to reach a lower "hold the gear train stationary. Thus the number of strokes which are struck when the mechanism is tripped is determined by the presence or absence of an elevation or by the extent of the elevation at the portion of the exterior surface of the looking wheel which is presented to the end 77 of locking lever 76. If that portion of the lockin wheel consists of a depression, as at 120, Fig. 2, the end of ,the Wire 80 enters notch 82 at the conclusion of the first cycle of operation and but one blow (which may be either single or double) is struck. On the other hand if that portion of the periphery of the locking Wheel consists of an elevation, as at 122, the end of wire 80 will be held out of notch 82 by reason of the fact that the end 77 of locking lever 76 is prevented from passing below the level of the top of the elevation, and the clock will continue to strike until the locking wheel is rotated sufiiciently to bring the next de ression into alinement with the end 77 of ever 70. For example, if the striking mechanism is at rest with the end 77 of locking lever 76 in a depression at the point indicated at 12 1,

Fig. 2, four strokes will be struck before the mechanism comes to rest.

Locking lever 112, which has its end bent at 113 so that it may be moved into and out of engagement with the elevations and depressions on the interior surface of the locking plate, is provided with mechanism tending to oscillate it twice during each cycle. However, one of these oscillations may be prevented by mechanism provided for that purpose. Thus during each rotation of disk 84, first pin 86 and then pin 88 engages the tail 90 of hammer 92 and swings it in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1. If a double blow is to be struck, the bent end of wire 108 will be held out of the path of movement of the tail 90 of the hammer through the engagement of the end 113 of wire 112 with one of the elevations of the inner surface of the locking plate. On the other hand,

if a single blow is to be struck, the end 113 of locking lever 112 will be moved into one of the depressions of the inner surface of locking plate 38 by spring 104 and will thus move the end of wire 108 into the path of movement of the tail 90 of hammer 92, thus preventing the hammer from swinging under the influence of spring 96. This movement of the end of wire 108 into the path of movement of the tail of the hammer can take place only when the disk 50 is in such a position as to permit the end of wire 106 to engage with a depression 126 formed in the periphery of the disk 50, and this depression is of such an extent and is so positioned that it permits the end of wire 108 to move into the path of the tail 90 of hammer 92 only immediately after the tail of the hammer has been engaged and swung to the right (as viewed in Fig. 1) by pin 88. Continued rotation of disk 50 lifts the end of lever 108 away from projection 110 of the tail 90 of the hammer when the tail of the hammer is engaged by the second pin 88 so that a single blow may be struck. Thus a single blow or a double blow will be struck during each cycle of operation according as, during that cycle, the end 113 of locking lever 112 engages with a depressed or an elevated portion of the interior surface of locking wheel 38.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 4, the method of controlling a clock to cause it to strike Roman numerals will be explained. As hereinbefore stated, the novel method utilizes a single stroke to represent the numeral 1, a double stroke to represent the numeral V and two double strokes to represent the numeral X, a single stroke before a double or before two double strokes being subtracted from what follows in accordance with the system of Roman numerals. Moreover, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the locking wheel is arranged to cause the clock to strike a single blow on the half hours between the hour signals. This will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 4- in which a single blow is represented by a single vertical line, a double blow by two adjacent, vertical, parallel lines, and the interval between two blows by a hyphen. Referring now to Fig. 2, in which the relative movement of the locking plate 38 and locking lever 76, and the relative movement of the locking plate 38 and locking lever 112 are represented by dotted lines, it will be noted that the locking plate there shown rotates but once during twenty-four hours so that the arrangement of the elevated and depressed portions is duplicated. Considering the locking levers in the position in which they are shown in Fig. 2, it will be observed that when the striking mechanism is tripped, it will operate through only a single cycle because the end 77 of locking lever 76 will, at the end of the first oscillation thereof, engage a depressed portion of the exterior of the lock The next time that the striking mechanism is tripped, the end 77 of lever 7 6 will, during the first cycle, move into engagement with an elevated portion of the outer surface of lock ing wheel38, at 130, so that the mechanism will continue to operate through a second cy-= cle near the end of which the end 77 of locking lever 7 6 engages a depression in they outer surface of locking wheel38, at 132, thereby bringing the mechanism to rest. Thus two blows will be struck- On the other hand, the end 113 of locking lever112 will, during each of these cycles, engage a projecting portion of the inner surface of locking wheel 38, at 134 and 136. Therefore both of the strokes struck will be double strokes, indicating ten oclock. From these examples it is thought that the manner of the controlling of the striking by locking plate 38 will be clear. I

Referring now to igs. 3 and 5, the striking of ships bells is illustrated in the same manner. The locking plate 1&0, in Fig. 3, is similar to locking plate 38 of Fi 2, except that its elevated and depressed portions are arranged to produce striking in accordance with the well known system of ships bells, the elevated and depressed portions being repeated four times. Thus locking plate 140 will be rotated once in sixteen hours.

Referring still to Fig. 3, when the striking mechanism is tripped, it w ll come to rest at the end of the first cycle of operation since the end 77 of lever'76 will, near the conclusion of the-first cycle, be moved into engage ment with a depression in the exterior surface of locking wheel 140, at 142. Also the blow struck willbe a single blow because the end 113 of locking lever 112 will enter a depression in the interior surface or looking wheel 140, at 144. Thus one hell (12.30, 4.30

or 8.30 oclock) will be struck. .The next time the striking mechanism is tripped the end 77 of lever 76 will again be moved into a depression in the exterior surtace'ot locking wheel 140, at 146, and again the striking mechanism will come to rest at the conclusion of the first cycle of operation. On the other hand, the end 113 of lever 112 will, during, that cycle, move into engagement with a projection of the interior surrace or locking wheel 140, at 148, and a double stroke will be struck, the mechanism thus sounding two bells (1, 5 or 9 oclock). v Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Striking mechanism for a clock hav ing a hammer, a bell positioned to be struck by the hammer, means for operating the hammer tending to cause the hammer to strike double blows upon the bell, and means to prevent the striking of one of the strokes of a double blow during the sounding of certain time signals and to permit the striking of a double blow thereafter as part of the same time signal.

2. Mechanism for controlling the striking of a clock comprising a locking plate having two series of alternate depressed and elevated portions, the depressed and elevated port-ions of the two series being arranged in a definite relation to one another, and means controlled by one of said series of depressed and elevated portions for controlling the number of blows struck by the hammer and controlled by the other series'ot depressed and elevated portions arranged to control the nature of the blows struck by the hammer to cause the clock to strike a code based upon Roman numerals.

3. Striking mechanism for a clock having a locking plate provided with two series of elevated and depressed portions, the elevated and depressed portions of the two series being arranged in predetermined relation to one another, means connecting one of said series of elevated and depressed portions with the hammer to control the number of blows struck by the hammer and means controlled by the other series of elevated and depressed portions to determine the'striking of a single or a double blow by the hammer.

4-. Striking mechanism for a clock comprising a hammer, a bell, a member rotated during the striking of the clock, means tend in to cause the hammer to strike a double blow for eachcomplete rotation of said memher, a wire operable to prevent the striking of t re first stroke of the double blow, a locking plate, connections from the locking plate to the wire, and operating mechanism arranged to-cause saidrwire operate to prevent thefirst stroke of double blow or to tail so to operate'so that either a single or a double-blow is struck during each rotation of said rotating member as determ ned by a characteristic 01" said locking plate.

5. Striking mechanism for a clock comprising a'hammer, a bell, amember rotated during the striking of the clock, means tending to'cause the hammer to strike a double blow for each complete rotation of said member, nieansoperable to prevent the striking of one or the strokes of the double blow without'preventing the striking of subsequent blows as part of the same time signal, a look ing plate, connections from the lockin 'plate to the stroke-preventing means, and operating mechanism arranged to cause said strokepreventing means to operate or to fail to operate so that either a single or a double blow is struck during each'rotation of said rotating member as determined by a characteristic of said locking plate.

6. Striking mechanism for a clock having a hammer and a bell, said mechanism comprising a disk rotatably mounted and carrying a pair of pins whose path of movement is intersected by the tail of the hammer, periodically operated means for rotating the disk to cause the pins successively to engage with the tail of the hammer and to swing the hammer, and means operative while sounding a time signal for preventing the hammer from striking the bell when it is swung by one of the two pins arranged to permit the hammer to strike the bell when it is swung by said one of the pins later in the striking of the same time signal 7. Striking mechanism for a clock having a hammer and a bell comprising a disk rotatably mounted and carrying a pair of pins whose path of movement is intersected by the tail of the hammer so that rotation of the disk causes the pins successively to engage the tail of the hammer and thereby to swing the hammer, a lever, and means for periodically moving the lever into the path of movement of the tail of the hammer to cause it to prevent the hammer from striking the bell when the hammer has been swung in one direction by the first of the pins to engage it and for thereafter moving the lever out of the path of the tail of the hammer during the striking of the same time signal to permit "the hammer to strike subsequent blows on the bell as part of that same time signal.

8. Striking mechanism for a clock having a hammer and a bell, comprising a disk ro tatably mounted and carrying a pair of pins whose path of movement is intersected by the tail of the hammer so that rotation of the disk causes the pins successively to engage the tail of the hammer and thereby to swing the hammer, a lever, and a locking wheel formed and arranged to control the number of rotations of said disk during the sounding of each time signal and also to control the movement of said lever to cause it to operate to prevent the swinging of the hammer into engagement with the bell or not according to the nature of the time signal to be sounded.

9. Striking mechanism for a clock comprising a locking plate in the form of a ring having a plurality of series of alternating elevated and depressed portions, mechanism including a lever arranged for rocking movement into and out of engagement with one of said series of elevated and depressed portions and arranged to continue to operate as long as the lever engages only with elevated portions and to come to rest when the lever engages a depressed portion, and a second lever arranged for rocking movement into and out of engagement with another of said series of elevated and depressed portions to cause the hammer to strike a double blow when the second lever moves into engagement with one of the elevated portions and to strike a single blow when said lever moves into engagement with one of the depressed portions.

10. Striking mechanism for a clock comprising a locking plate having a series of depressions, a lever tending to rock about its fulcrum into engagement with the periphery of the locking plate, means for moving the lever periodically out of engagement with a depression in the locking plate and thereby rendering the hammer-operating mechanism etl ective to cause the hammer to oscillate, said lever being arranged to engage with the locking plate once during each oscillation of the lever and to cease oscillating whenever it engages a depression of the locking plate, a second locking plate having alternating depressed and nondepressed portions arranged in precalculated relation to the depressions of the first locking plate, and asecond lever arranged lor rocking movement into and out of engagement with the second locking plate in synchronism with the rocking of the firstnamed lever and arranged to control the character of the blow struck by the hammer according as the second lever engages with a depressed or a nonmlepressed portion of said second locking plate.

11. Striking mechanism for a clock comprising a disk arranged to rotate once for each blow to be struck and provided with a pair of pins, a lever arranged in the path of movement of said pins to be oscillated thereby and connected to the hammer to cause the latter to strike a blow when the lever is oscillated by said pins, a second lever arranged to be oscillated into and out of the path of movement of said first lever and arranged to prevent oscillation of said first lever when in the path of movement of the latter, means for moving said second lever into the path of the first lever when the latter has been moved by one ot the pins thereby preventing its return movement and for moving the sec ond lever out of the path of movement of the first lever before the first lever is reached by the second pin so as to cause the hammer to strike only a single blow, all during the striking of the same time signal and means for controlling the action of said second leveroperating means to cause the hammer to strike a single or a double blow in accordance with the time signal to be sounded.

12. Striking mechanism for a clock comprising a disk arranged to rotate once for each blow to be struck and provided with a pair of pins, a lever arranged in the path of movement of said pins to be oscillated thereby and connected to the hammer to cause the latter to strike a blow when the lever is oscillated by said pins, a second lever arranged to be oscillated into and out of the path of movement of said first lever and arranged to prevent oscillation of said first lever when in the path of movement of the latter, means for moving said second lever into the path of the first lever when the latter has been operated by one of the pins thereby preventing its return movement and for moving the second lever out of the path of movement of the first lever before the first lever is reached by the second pin so as to cause the hammer to strike only a single blow, all during the striking of a single time signal and a locking plate arranged to control the operation of said second lever to cause the hammer to strike a single or a double blow in accordance with the time signal to be sounded.

13. A controlling device for mechanism arranged to perform an operation cyclically having a locking plate formed with two groups of controlling notches, one group being arranged to control the number of cycles through which the operation is performed and the other being arranged variably to determine a characteristic of the operation as performed in the several cycles.

let. Mechanism for controlling the per formance of an. operation. which comprises a number of steps performed in sequence comprising a locking plate having inner and outer controlling surfaces, one of said surfaces being formed and arranged to control the number of steps performedand the other to control the manner in which each step is performed. 7

15. A controlling member for cyclically operating machines comprising a ring provided with a series of alternate projecting and depressed portions, the relative magnitudes of the individual projecting and depressed portions being arranged to control the cyclic 7 performance of an operation through a calculated number of cycles of operation of the machine, and a second series of alternate ele vated and depressed portions, the relative magnitudes of the individual elevated and de-' pressed portions of the second series being arranged to control a characteristic of the operation as performed in the several cycles.

16. Controlling mechanism for a cyclically operating machine comprising a looming plate in the form of a ring having a plurality of series of alternating depressed and non-depressed portions, mechanism including a lever arranged for rocking movement into j and out of engagement with one of said series ofdepressed and non-depressed portions and arranged to continue to operate as long as the lever engages only with non-depressed portions and to come to rest whenthe lever engages a depressed portion, and a second lever arranged for rocking movement into and out of engagement with another of said'series of depressed and non-depressed portions and to cause the machine to operate in one fashion when thesecond lever moves intoengagement with one of the'depressed portions and to operate in another fashion when said leverv moves into engagement with one of the nondepressed portions.

17 Controlling mechanism for a cyclically operating machine comprising a locking plate having a series of depressions, a lever, means to rock the lever about its fulcrum into and out of engagement with the periphery of the lockin late means for movin the. lever periodically out of engagement with a depression in the locking plate and thereby causing the machine to operate through one or more cycles, said lever being arranged to engage with the locking plate once during each oscillation of said lever and to cease oscillating whenever it engages with a depressed portion of the locking plate, a second locking plate having alternating depressed and non-dc pressed portions arranged in a precalculated relation to the depressions of the first locking plate, and a second lever arranged for rocking movement into and out of engagement with the second locking plate in synchronism with the first-namedlever and arranged to control the character of the operation performed by the machine in each cycle of operation according as the secondnamed lever engages with a depressed or non-depressed portion of said second-named locking plate.

18. A locking plate for the striking mechanism of a clock comprising a ring provided with a plurality of series of alternate depressed and non-depressed portions, one series of which controls the number of blows of the hammer when the clock strikes and the other of which controls the character of each blow struck.

19. A locking plate for the striking mechanism of a clock comprising a ring provided with an external series and an internal series of alternate, radially-extending, elevated and depressed portions, one series of which controls the number of blows of the hammer when the clock strikes and the other of which controls the character of each blow struck.

20. Striking mechanism for a clock having a hammer and a locking plate for controlling the operation of the hammer constructed and arranged to cause the hammer to tend to strike double blows, and a wire operative to intercept the hammer and thus to prevent the striking of one of the strokes of a double blow 

